Apple Cider Sangria Recipe

This apple cider sangria is a white wine sangria made with 1 bottle (750 ml) of white wine, 2 cups apple cider, ½ cup caramel vodka, ¼ cup triple sec, two sliced apples, an orange, a cinnamon stick, and soft caramel candies. It takes 15 minutes to put together and at least 2 hours to chill, and one pitcher pours 6 to 8 glasses.

The caramel is what turns it into a caramel apple sangria. Half the candies go into the pitcher and slowly melt into the cider, so the drink turns a deeper gold and a little cloudy. The glasses get a rim of caramel sauce and graham cracker crumbs.

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Cider Sangria Proportions and Timing

• Wine to cider: about 3 parts wine to 2 parts cider (one 750 ml bottle to 2 cups)
• Spirits: ½ cup caramel vodka and ¼ cup triple sec per bottle
• Fruit: 2 apples (one red, one green), 1 orange, 1 cinnamon stick, 10 to 12 soft caramels
• Makes: about 6 cups before topping, 6 to 8 glasses
• Time: 15 minutes to build, 2 to 4 hours to chill, or overnight
• Leftovers: 2 to 3 days in the fridge with the fruit strained out

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Picking a White Wine for Apple Cider Sangria

A dry, unoaked white is the right base. Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio both stand up to the cider without making the drink too sweet, and their clean finish lets the apple and caramel come through. Riesling works if you like it softer, but it adds its own honey and stone fruit notes on top of the caramel.

I have made this with oaked and unoaked whites, and the unoaked ones work better. Oaked Chardonnay brings vanilla and toast that compete with the caramel. No need for an expensive bottle: the cider and caramel cover most of the wine’s detail.

For the cider, use cloudy, unfiltered apple cider from the refrigerated section. It has more body and apple flavor than clear apple juice. If you have time, homemade apple cider works well here once it is fully cold.

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Red Wine or White Wine With Apple Cider?

White wine is the recipe, and it keeps the drink light and golden so the caramel stays in front. Red wine works too, with the same amounts, but it makes a different drink: darker, deeper, closer to a cold mulled wine, with the caramel in the background.

• White (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio): crisp, golden, the caramel and apple are the main flavors.
• Red (Pinot Noir, Grenache, Beaujolais): berry and spice notes, a deep ruby color. Choose a fruity red with soft tannins; a heavy Cabernet tastes harsh and bitter when served cold next to apple.

For a red version, I would keep the orange and cinnamon and add a second cinnamon stick, since red wine takes more spice.

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Caramel Vodka, Caramel Syrup or Apple Brandy?

I have tried this sangria with caramel vodka and with store-bought caramel syrup, and they are not interchangeable. Here is how the three options compare at the same ½ cup:

• Caramel vodka (the recipe): adds caramel flavor without weight. It mixes in fully and does not settle, so the pitcher tastes the same from first glass to last.
• Caramel syrup: coats the fruit, clouds the whole pitcher, and sinks. Cheaper syrups taste artificial. If you use it, start with ¼ cup and stir before every pour.
• Apple brandy: the traditional sangria choice. Drier, more apple, less caramel; the candies then carry all the caramel flavor.

For a pitcher that sits out for a few hours at a party, caramel vodka is the one to use.

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Building the Sangria Pitcher

Rim the Glasses First

Pour some thick caramel sauce onto one plate and graham cracker crumbs onto another. Dip only the top ¼ inch of each glass in the caramel, then press it into the crumbs. A thin, runny caramel slides down the glass, so if yours is loose, chill it for 10 minutes first. You can rim the glasses up to an hour ahead and keep them in the fridge so the caramel sets.

Mix, Add Fruit, Chill

Pour the wine, cider, caramel vodka, and triple sec into a large pitcher and stir until the color is even. Then add the fruit.

Slice the apples thin, about ⅛ inch, and leave the peel on; a red and a green apple give the best color. Thin slices soak up the wine and are good to eat from the glass. Add them with the orange slices, the cinnamon stick, and half of the caramels (5 or 6). Keep the rest for garnish.

Cover and chill for at least 2 to 4 hours, or overnight for a deeper caramel flavor. If it will sit much longer than about 24 hours, lift out the orange slices, because the white pith starts to make the sangria bitter.

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Topping Each Glass With Ginger Beer or Bubbles

Stir the pitcher from the bottom before you pour. The melted caramel settles, and without a stir the last glasses get all of it. Pour into the rimmed glasses with a few apple and orange slices in each, then garnish with a skewer of the remaining caramels and an apple slice.

Add the fizz to each glass, not to the pitcher, or it goes flat while it waits. A splash of about ¼ cup is enough:

• Ginger beer: a little heat that suits the cinnamon.
• Sparkling water: lightest, cuts the sweetness.
• Sparkling cider: sweeter and more apple.
• Prosecco: for a sparkling apple cider sangria that is a bit stronger.

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Alcohol-Free Apple Cider Sangria

For a version kids and drivers can have, replace the bottle of wine with about 3 cups white grape juice and use ¾ cup extra apple cider in place of the caramel vodka and triple sec. Keep the fruit, cinnamon, and caramels. Add a squeeze of lemon or orange juice so it does not taste like plain juice, and top each glass with sparkling water. It keeps the same caramel rim and garnish, so it looks just like the grown-up pitcher on the table.

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Leftovers and Pitchers for a Crowd

Strain out the fruit before storing leftovers. By the second day the apples turn soft and cloud the drink. In a sealed pitcher or mason jar, the sangria keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge. Add fresh apple slices and a splash of sparkling cider before serving it again.

For a party, mix two bottles’ worth in a drink dispenser, or set out two pitchers side by side: this one and a white peach sangria for guests who want something lighter. An apple cider margarita or a maple bourbon apple cider cocktail rounds out a fall drink table, and for late October there are more easy Halloween cocktails that can be mixed ahead.

On the dessert side, homemade caramel apples and apple cider whoopie pies pick up the same caramel and apple flavors.

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Cider Sangria Questions

Can I use apple juice instead of apple cider?

You can, but the sangria will be thinner and sweeter. Unfiltered cider has more body and a tarter apple flavor. With juice, add a squeeze of lemon to balance it.

How strong is apple cider sangria?

Roughly as strong as a glass of wine. The vodka and triple sec add alcohol, but the 2 cups of cider and the topping dilute it again.

Can I make apple cider sangria the day before?

Yes. Overnight in the fridge is ideal. Add the fizz only when you pour, and take the orange out if it will sit longer than a day.